


Birthday

by xsticknoodlesx



Series: A Family Of My Own (Chainshipping Family Shots) [8]
Category: Saw (Movies)
Genre: Adam Faulkner-Stanheight Lives, Angst, Arguing, Birthday, Birthday Presents, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Men Crying, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:40:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27559984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xsticknoodlesx/pseuds/xsticknoodlesx
Summary: It's Diana's birthday and Lawrence asks Adam to join the party. The problem is that Alison will be there and they really don't get along. Despite his fears, he goes to make Diana happy.*Can be read as a stand-alone*
Relationships: Adam Faulkner-Stanheight/Lawrence Gordon, Diana Gordon & Adam Faulkner-Stanheight, Diana Gordon & Lawrence Gordon
Series: A Family Of My Own (Chainshipping Family Shots) [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1999132
Comments: 23
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this will be multi-chaptered! And yes, Alison is pretty mean in this but she gets a bit of a redemption at the end. Sorry, if you characterise her differently but I think even though she's lovely to Diana she's pretty mean spirited to Lawrence. And yes, he's not a great husband to her either which is why they divorced (in this and canon I think) she is not innocent either.
> 
> Also, this has original characters like Diana's grandparents, Lawrence's family, Diana's friends, etc.
> 
> Enjoy ^^

“You cannot be serious, Lawrence.“

The doctor looked up from folding the laundry to eye Adam. “Why? Why would I be joking about this? I’m being serious.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why isn’t it a good idea?” Lawrence asked gently. “Try thinking of why and maybe we’ll find out what worries you about it.”

“Should have become a therapist instead of a doctor.” Adam joked drily but relented. “I guess I’m nervous. Diana’s grandparents will be there, her friends’ parents and her mother. I don’t want to intrude or-”

“You’re part of the family.” Lawrence said sternly. “You have as much of a right to come to Diana’s birthday party as anyone else.”

“Alison won’t be happy.” Adam sighed. 

“Screw her.” Lawrence said and turned. “She’s been nothing but bitter toward you from the start as if it was your fault that I left her. She’s acting as if we didn’t constantly fight before the incident, as if she hasn’t been unsupportive after the incident and as if we haven’t been steadily going toward a divorce for months now.”

“You’re being unfair.” Adam crossed his arms. “She did support you.”

“Yes, physically. She propped up my pillows and cooked. She got me medication and drove me to doctor’s appointments but she was so bitter and never cared for my mental state. And she made me leave as soon as I was able to.”

“Still, I don’t want her to be unhappy. She should- I mean, it’s her daughter.”

“Adam, you can come. If you want, I’ll talk to Alison.”

“Will she really be okay with it?”

“I’m sure she will. She has to learn to accept you. She has been seeing another man for a few weeks now and I’m sure she’ll bring him along.”

“Really?” Adam sighed. “Okay, I think I’ll come by. Do you think your parents and Alison’s parents will mind?”

“Not at all.” Lawrence smiled. “In fact, my mother has been bugging me to see you for weeks now and my father has been trying to find you online, though with his technical knowledge he hasn’t gotten far.”

That got a laugh out of Adam. “You’re such a dick.”

“It’s true.” Lawrence chuckled. “So you’ll come?”

“I will.”

“Diana will be happy about it.” Lawrence said softly. “That’s all that matters.”

“I know.”

“Bring your camera, though. She’ll want you to take pictures of her.”

“What do I get her as a present?” Adam asked in shock. “I haven’t even though of that, yet!”

“You don’t-”

“I do!” Adam exclaimed. “I need to get her a present!”

“Maybe we can look together.”

“Please.”

\---

The next few days ticked by slowly until Friday arrived and with it Diana’s birthday. Lawrence was out, preparing things for the party. He was planning on picking Diana up from school, then collecting Adam and driving them all to his old house that now belonged to Alison. Adam was currently busy with getting his camera ready, just as promised and trying to look presentable when his phone rang.

He saw that it was Lawrence and quickly picked it up. “Hey, babe, what’s up?”

Lawrence sounded stressed out. “We have a problem. So Alison bought some of the stuff for the party over my bank account because we obviously wanted to share the costs. But now they won’t believe her that it’s her ex-husband paying for their daughter’s bouncy castle and all that, so I have to go and deal with it.”

“Okay, so that means-”

“Could you pick Diana up and get her to the house. You have the address, right? You’ve been there before.”

Adam nodded slowly. “Yes, I have. But I don’t think-”

“Please, love.” Lawrence pleaded. “You can wait with her in the car if you don’t want to go inside without me.”

“Okay.”

“You take my car, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Will you be fine?”

“Sure.”

\---

Diana came pouring out the front doors with the other children and as Adam saw the others’ parents all getting out of their cars, he did the same. He exited the car and called out to Diana, unsure of whether or not she’d be happy to see Adam instead of her father. But Diana’s face lit up and she ran toward Adam who quickly crouched down to catch her.

“Adam!” She cheered. “Where’s Daddy?”

Adam picked her up. “Well, first of all: Happy Birthday!”

Diana giggled. “Thank you! I’m nine years old now.”

“Seriously? I would have bet you turned six.” Adam teased and Diana pouted a little jokingly.

“No, I’m nine!” She insisted before giggling. “You’re silly, Adam.”

“Yeah, so I’ve been told.” He chuckled. “Your Daddy needs to pick something up for your party. We’ll meet him at the house.”

Diana nodded and took Adam’s hand after he’d put her down. “You’re coming, too, right?”

“Of course.” Adam nodded and held her hand. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes.”

One of Diana’s friends, Jamie approached her. “See you later, Diana!”

She smiled at him. “You’ll come, yes?”

“Yes!” He nodded and then looked at Adam. “Who is that?”

The man in question was about to answer but Diana beat him to it. “That’s my new dad. His name’s Adam and he lives with my Daddy.”

Adam blinked a few times, unable to comprehend what Diana had said for a few seconds. Tears sprang to his eyes but he kept them at bay. Diana had called him her father, her dad. She saw him as a father figure and seemed to accept him in her life completely. And for some reason, it made Adam unbelievably happy.

“You can have two dads?” Jamie mused before looking at his mother. “Mommy, why don’t I have two dads? Then I’d have two dads to play ball with!”

Adam smiled at that and looked down at the boy. “Well, you have a Mommy and a Daddy instead. That’s great, too, right?”

Jamie nodded. “Yes, my Mommy is the best.”

His mother smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Adam. If you’re this integrated into Diana’s life, I’m sure I’ll see you around again.”

“I’m sure. Now Diana and I have to go to her mother’s house for the party. Is your son invited?”

“Yes, we’ll be there at 3 pm.”

Adam smiled politely. “Alright, then goodbye.”

Diana waved at her friend and looked up at Adam. “Will you carry me?”

Adam sighed and bent down to pick her up. “You’re lucky it’s your birthday, you know?”

“I know.”

\---

“Aren’t we going inside?”

Adam looked back at Diana in the seat behind him. “We’re waiting for your Daddy.”

“But we can go inside, can’t we? We don’t need Daddy for that.” She smiled and unbuckled herself. “Come on, Ads.”

Adam was hesitant but given that Diana was already out the car, he quickly followed, locked it and took her hand to get her across the street safely. When they arrived, a nice older woman opened the door and Diana immediately hugged her.

“Grandma!”

“Diana!” She exclaimed and kissed her cheek. “Happy Birthday, sweetheart! And you must be Adam.”

The man in question nodded. “Yes, and who might you be? Are you Alison’s mother or Lawrence’s mother?”

“I’m Larry’s mother.” She smiled. “Call me Beth. Come inside, Adam.”

Adam nodded and slowly followed the woman inside, clutching his backpack tghtly to himself. It contained his camera and a present for Diana but most importantly it gave him something to hold onto as his anxiety spiked up. He hadn’t wanted to meet Lawrence’s family without his boyfriend by his side but he also hadn’t been able to say no to Diana. That’s why he was now standing in the middle of the living room, clutching his backpack, fiddling with the buttons on his dress shirt and looking around.

Several people passed, gave him friendly nods and smiled before going into the backyard. Beth was carrying Diana there so Adam decided to follow. That’s when Alison came inside, cutting him off.

“Adam, hello.”

Adam swallowed thickly, nervous about meeting his boyfriend’s ex-wife. “Hello, Alison. The garden looks nice from what- from what I can see. You know, the windows aren’t that big so- I mean, good job.”

“Thanks. Diana’s grandparents helped.” She smiled politely but Adam could tell it was forced. “So Lawrence invited you, right?”

“Yes.” Adam noded. 

“And he made you bring that camera of yours?”

“Yes.” Adam nodded again. “Diana likes me taking photos of her and- and I thought it’d be good to capture her party.”

“What a sweet idea.” Alison nodded. “Truth be told, I was wary about allowing my husbands new fling here. But it seems that Diana really likes you. I was a little afraid she’d get attached to someone that’d leave but you seem to be around to stay.”

Adam swallowed at that. “Fling? No, I’m his boyfriend.”

“Yes, of course.” Alison nodded. “Do you want to leave your backpack in the kitchen and come outside? We’re having little snacks and pastries.”

“Sure.” Adam nodded and put his backpack onto the table around the doorway but not before taking a little package out. “I got Diana something.”

“You can put it with all the other gifts.” Alison nodded. “Now come on. Everyone is eager to meet you.”

Adam nodded and followed. He knew Alison was antagonising him and he could honestly not care less. But as much as he didn’t care what she thought, he didn’t want Diana’s birthday ruined or everyone else in a bad mood. He kept quiet.

Outside, Diana ran up to Adam. “Is that for me?”

“Uh-huh.” He nodded. “But you’ll get it later with everyone else’s gifts.”

Diana pouted. “Ads, that’s not fair.”

“Really, Di? I think it is in fact really fair.” He chuckled and ruffled her hair. “Go and play.”

“Will you play with us? We’re playing tag. Jamie’s dad is playing with us, too!” She pulled at his arm.

Adam nodded and put the gift down on the table. “Okay, sure.”

He played with them for a while, ignoring everyone else’s looks. After chasing the kids around for about half an hour, Jamie’s dad called a break and everyone went to get a drink. Adam turned to see Lawrence talking to Alison. He approached them.

“Did you get everything?” Adam asked gently. 

“Yes, the bounce-house guy is coming to pump it up in a few minutes.” Lawrence nodded. “Did everything go well when you picked Diana up?”

“Wait, he picked her up?” Alison looked up. “Why?”

“Because I was preoccupied with getting the bounce-house.” Lawrence said sternly and turned to Adam. “Did everything work out?”

“Yes.”

“So a guy you met a few months ago can pick our daughter up but my cousin can’t?” Alison huffed. “Great, Larry. Every second person on the street will be able to pick our daughter up soon.”

“No, Alison!” Lawrence said sternly. “Your cousin was caught drunk driving which is why he isn’t allowed to pick her up! Adam is very responsible and a part of the family.”

Adam shrunk in on himself as the two continued to bicker. He hated this. Whenever the two of them met they fought. Alison was always antagonizing Adam and Lawrence always got way too worked up over it. The bickering continued until Adam couldn’t take it anymore and had to say something.

“Alison!” He exclaimed, maybe a little too forcefully.

“Yes? What is it?”

“Where is your bathroom?” He stammered out. He needed to get away from the fighting and bickering.

Lawrence looked at him. “Do you need me to come with you? Will you be fine on your own?”

“Come with him?” Alison huffed. “Lawrence, he’s not-”

"Stop it, Alison." Lawrence said sternly. "You have no clue what he has been through, okay? You have no idea what we both have been through!"

“Where is it?” Adam urged.

“Next to the front door. You can’t miss it.” She said, surprised by his urgency.

Lawerence watched him storm off. He then sighed and turned to Alison. This was not how Diana’s birthday should go and he needed to change that. Him and his wife fought, she antagonised Adam and Lawerence got angry at her all the time. But this was not the day to fight on. First, he had to talk to Adam.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana gets her present from Adam and Alison isn't pleased with how she refers to the man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Badabing, badaboom, a new chapter! I hope you like this one, too! Random fact of the day: my damn basement would be a great place to shoot a SAW movie. And had Leigh Whannell and James Wan not moved on to other projects, they could have shot one down there. My friend and I really need to start on that weird horror movie we had planned out jokingly, huh? All joked aside, I'd love to make horror movies darn it. I have so many good ideas. Well, I can also stick to writing horror stories of my own.
> 
> These notes must sound like I have no filter and just spew random stuff. I apologize.
> 
> Enjoy ^^

“Adam, open up!“

The lock clicked open after Lawrence’s fifth request for Adam to open the door upon which he was quickly pulled inside by the other man. Adam locked the door again and turned to Lawrence, eyes wide and teary.

“Stop fighting because of me!”

“What?” Lawrence shook his head. “Alison is being terrible to you, Adam.”

“I know.” Adam groaned. “But I don’t want you two to fight. Please, can’t we just try to- to not yell or bicker or- or shout?”

Lawrence eyed Adam for a few seconds before coming closer to embrace him. “Alright. I’m sorry. I just got so angry that she was so unfriendly to you.”

“It’s okay.” Adam whispered and hugged him back. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Lawrence sighed. “I feel terrible when Alison is being so terrible to you. I feel like it’s my fault because I somehow messed up on an amicable divorce.”

“It’s not.” Adam shook his head. “I’m sure a divorce is hard and all that. Don’t blame yourself. Let’s just try to- let’s try to have fun, okay?”

Lawrence smiled warmly. “Yes, let’s go back outside. Are you alright?”

“Yes.” 

Once back outside, Lawrence kept close to Adam, an arm wrapped around his waist as he talked to the parents of his daughter’s friends. Adam got bored with the conversation quickly, not interested in homeowner associations and yard sales so he watched everyone else. The kids were still playing, now on the bouncy castle that had been delivered and installed. Eventually, he slipped away from Lawrence to get something to eat just to be met with Lawrence’s father.

“You’re Adam, right? I’m Lawrence’s father, Louis.” He held out a hand and Adam quickly shook it. “You’re living with my son, right?”

“Oh yes.” Adam nodded. “Has he told you about me?”

“Oh, only every time he called me and Beth.” The man joked and Adam chuckled. “He said you’re a photographer and you even have a website. I tried to find it but I am not the best with the internet. Will you take photographs of the party?”

“Yes, I’ll get the camera soon.” Adam nodded again. “So do you mind that your son left his wife for me or-”

Adam cringed at his own question and Louis quickly shook his head. “Oh, dear, no. Lawrence and Alison weren’t a good fit. They’re much happier with their new partners and that’s alright. Diana really seems to like you.”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Louis laughed at that. “When we visit her, she keeps talking our ear off about all the things you do with her. You let her paint your nails and went to the mall with her.”

“Yes.” Adam nodded. “On the off chance that Lawrence has to work when she’s over, I keep her entertained until he comes back. But most of the time he tries to be off work on those days.”

“Lawrence and you, how are you doing after everything that happened?”

“Yeah.” Adam stuttered out, averting his eyes now. “I- I don’t know, I’d say we’re pretty okay given the circumstance. We- we have each other a-and that really helps.”

“That’s good. It’s important to not be alone with such trauma.”

“Exactly.” Adam nodded. “I am so terrified of- of just being alone and- it’s just hard.”

“I see.” Louis nodded. “And how does it make you feel that you’re still so scared? Do you feel that your feelings are justified? I can assure you they are.”

Adam looked up. “Are you like a therapist? You sound like one.”

“Actually, I am. Are you seeing someone?”

“Yeah, I am. Larry is, too.” Adam nodded. 

“I see.” Louis smiled. “That’s good.”

“Yes.” Adam nodded again. “I need to get back to Lawrence. I’ll see you later.”

Louis said goodbye and Adam hurried back to Lawrence where he quickly got close to his boyfriend again. Lawrence looked at him in worry. 

“What’s up?”

“Nothing.” Adam mumbled sarcastically. “People are staring, your wife hates me and your dad tried to psycho-analyse me.”

Lawrence sighed. “People are just looking at you because they don’t know you, yet. My _ex_ wife doesn’t hate you. And my dad is just like that. I’ll talk to him.”

“Thanks.” Adam said softly. “I’m sorry, I’m just not used to that many people. And well, they’re your family, so I feel like an intruder.”

“Seriously?” Lawrence turned to Adam fully now. “You’re certainly not. You’re part of this family, too, Adam.”

Adam smiled softly at that. “I’ll take a few pictures, okay?”

“Okay.”

\---

Diana was delighted by her presents and opened them quickly, first the ones from her parents, then from her grandparents and her aunts and uncles. There was lots of smiling, laughing and hugging the person who’d given her the present. Then she took Adam’s present from the table and he sat up in his chair, eager to see whether or not she’d like t. She tore at the paper and took out a little box, her eyes lighting up when she saw what it was.

“A camera?” She asked in excitement before turning to Adam. “You got me a camera?”

Adam smiled softly, happy at her excitement. It was a small baby blue camera, waterproof and with a lot of great features. And while it was more suitable for children and certainly not a professional camera like his was, it wasn’t a cheap throw-away camera for children either. He’d spent hours skimming through shops, looking for the right one.

He cleared his throat, motioning at the camera, trying to explain the features so that a child would understand. “You like taking pictures of herself which is why it has a few timer features and you love taking pictures of animals. It’s good for that too. It’s really good for taking pictures of things in motion, stabilising them and making them appear not too blurry. It also comes with a protective case.”

Lawrence was smiling next to Adam, a hand sneaking around his shoulders. “That’s really sweet of you. I think Diana likes her gift.”

“No, I love it!” She exclaimed and dove in to hug Adam. “Thank you, dad!”

Adam looked down at her in surprise, his face scrunching up in happiness. Diana had referred to him as her dad earlier that day but now she’d even addressed him as such and Adam was smiling brightly as he hugged her back.

“Ah, don’t mention it.” Adam said and ruffled her hair. “But we can surely try it out very soon. You can take some pictures of your party with it, too.”

“Will you show me how to?”

“Sure.”

Lawrence smiled as he watched the two of them. Then Diana went back to unwrap the gifts from her friends and Lawrence took Adam’s hand. He was aware that Alison was glaring at the younger man, obviously not pleased with what Diana had referred to him as. But he ignored her, focusing on Diana happily unwrapping her gifts, talking about the great presents she’d gotten from her parents and Adam smiling softly next to him.

“That was a great gift.” Lawrence whispered and Adam turned to him.

“I spent so long looking for a good one, you know?” Adam joked quietly. “I’m really glad she liked it. I wasn’t sure if she’d be excited about it.”

“She loved it.” He whispered before lowering his voice to tease Adam a bit. “Dad.”

Adam chuckled quietly and bumped his shoulder into Lawrence’s arm. “Shush.”

“She sees you as a dad.”

“I know.” Adam whispered with a smile. “I heard it, too. I have ears, you know?”

“Sometimes I feel like you don’t have ears, only a mouth.”

“Very funny.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning the next chapter will be angst-y, cry-y, fight-y. So be prepared! Also, Grammarly says my text sounded disapproving and anxious??? How? This is the calm before the storm! The fluff before the angst!  
> See you ^^


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana hurts herself, Adam wants to help, Alison gets angry, Lawrence gets angry, too. Feelings are shred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey ho! how's everyone doing? I was busy with my art project for school while we are in homeschooling and quarantine. we have to use toilet paper rolls to make animals. and while I like the butterfly and absolutely adore the cute little octopus I made, the crocodile makes me want to cry because it looks so weird.
> 
> Enjoy ^^ it's not as angsty as anticipated. I chilled out a bit.

“Dad?“

Lawrence heaved a sigh, supporting his weight on his cane. “Yes, is that a problem, Alison?”

“He is not her father.” Alison said sternly.

“And your boyfriend is not her father either but he treats her as if he is and she refers to him as pops.” Lawrence said calmly. “I don’t see the problem with either.”

“Adam is such a-”

“What is he?” Hissing was not the best way to de-escalate the situation but Lawrence didn’t care, not when Alison was going off at Adam. “A good parent? Yes, he is. He entertains Diana, keeps her safe and cares for her. Is that something negative?”

“He is not her father.” Alison argued again.

Lawrence sighed. “I don’t get why you’re like this, Ally. I really thought we’d be able to move on with partners that are better for us.”

Alison narrowed her eyes. “Don’t call me Ally, Lawrence. Adam is not fit to be a father. He’s too young and inexperienced to be a father.”

“And what were we when Diana came along?” Lawrence raised an eyebrow. “We had no experience of being parents either. That’s not something you just know, it’s something you learn, Alison.”

“But Adam is just so-”

“What is your problem with him?” Lawrence hissed quietly, trying not to let the guests hear their argument. “You have a new boyfriend, too, and he spends a lot of time with Diana. So why is it bad if Adam does?”

“You don’t get it!”

“Then explain it to me!”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

“Okay, fine, but you also don’t get to be this horrible to Adam.”

Alison sighed as Lawrence walked away, presumably to find either his new boyfriend or his daughter. Speaking of which, both of them seemed preoccupied. Adam was chasing around Diana and her friends. The girl was shouting about Adam being a monster and them having to escape while the man – seemingly not even caring about the other people watching – was running after them, pretending to be whatever the children wanted him to be. With another sigh, Alison set out to find her boyfriend. Lawrence sat down next to his mother and watched everyone else play. 

Everything went well until Diana tripped over something and fell. It would have been fine, with them having played on the grass, had she not fallen face-first onto the ground. Immediately, she was sobbing. Alison and Lawrence sprang to action and approached her but before the could, Adam who had been close by was next to her on the ground, picking her up and examining her face.

“You’re alright.” He assured her, trying to shush the sobbing girl. “Where does it hurt?”

“My- my hands and my cheek!” Diana wailed and grabbed for Adam’s arm. 

“Okay, your daddy’s coming over and he’ll take care of you, okay?”

“It hurts.” Diana sobbed out and Adam was shocked to find her cheek bleeding from where she must have scratched it on something.

He swallowed his fears and picked her up. “Okay, dad will take you to your daddy and mommy, okay? You’ll be fine.”

Alison was at Adam’s side in an instant, holding out his arms. “Give her to me.”

Adam nodded and handed the girl over. “You’ll be fine, Di.”

Alison glared at him. “Of course she will. Her father will take her off her.”

“I just wanted to help. I know Lawrence will take care of her.” Adam held up his hands appeasingly and watched as Lawrence inspected Diana’s face.

“I appreciate that but you are _not_ her father.”

Lawrence shot Alison an angry glare before he took Diana from her arms. “Hey, sweetheart, we’ll take care of you, okay?”

“Daddy, my hands hurt.”

Lawrence nodded along and took her hands into his own. “Oh, they’re a little scratched but it’s not too bad. How about we go inside and wash them, huh? Then we’ll clean your cheek and put a bandaid on it, okay?”

“Okay.”

Adam swallowed against the tears in his eyes and watched the three of them leave. He was about to go and sit down when one of the kids pulled at his arm, asking him to play hide and seek with them and a parent of theirs. Adam swallowed once more, taking a deep breath before agreeing.

\---

“Are you angry at me, Lawrence?”

Lawrence ignored Alison, dabbing antiseptic onto Diana’s cheek, shushing her gently. “You’re doing great, sweetheart. I’m almost done.”

“Daddy, it hurts.” Diana whined and tried to squirm away.

Her father sighed and steadied her with a hand on the shoulder. “I know but I’m almost done. Try to think of something nice. What are you going to do once I’m done patching you up?”

“I want to play hide and seek with my friends. And with Adam and Liz’s dad.” Diana smiled a little, sniffling asher father ceased his actions. “Am I done?”

“One second.” Lawrence rummaged around the first-aide kit and pulled out a bandaid before putting it onto Diana’s cheek. “Just until it stops bleeding, okay?”

“Thank you, Daddy.”

“Now let’s take a look at your hands.” Lawrence held out his hands. “Show them to me, please.”

Diana did and Lawrence examined them, washing them off with a bit of cold water while Alison waited for an answer still.

“Larry, are you angry at me?”

“Lawrence.” The man corrected. “And yes, I am.”

“What? Seriously? I was trying to help our daughter!”

“So was Adam and you got angry at him again.” Lawrence said softly but sternly before drying Diana’s hands off. “Okay, off you go.”

“Is Adam sad?”

Alison looked down at Diana. “I’m sure- I- I don’t know.”

“Why are you so mean to Adam?” Diana pouted a little. “He’s nice!”

“Diana, go play with your friends.” Lawrence said softly.

The girl sighed and nodded. “Okay, fine.”

Once outside, Diana ran over to play with the others. Everyone stopped to make sure she was alright but soon after they were all playing again. Eventually, a few more parents joined in and Adam slowly slipped away to have a drink, maybe nurse his emotional wounds a little. That’s when Lawrence slipped into the seat next to him and Adam cursed mentally, knowing that now he’d have to talk about his feelings again.

“Are you okay?”

“Sure.” Adam shrugged. “Is Diana okay?”

“Just a few scratches. I patched her up.” Lawrence promised. “I talked to Alison.”

“You don’t have to, Larry.” Adam took his hands and smiled softly but he knew Lawrence could tell it was insincere. “She’s right.”

“Adam, don’t say that.” Lawrence leaned closer, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek. “Diana sees you as a father figure so you are her dad. Family isn’t always about who is blood-related, you know?”

“No, you and Alison are her parents. I’m just the guy her father-“

“Adam?”

Both men turned to find Alison standing next to them. She sat down on Adam’s other side, sparing a quick glance to see her daughter was still playing and the guests were preoccupied before she leaned in closer.

“I’m sorry.”

“What?” Adam blinked in confusion. “You don’t have to-”

“Just stop, okay? I was terrible to you.” Alison sighed. “I felt threatened and left behind by Lawrence but that’s not true. He has you now and I have Ryan. And that’s good because we weren’t a good match. My first marriage ended with my husband being kidnapped, falling in love with his fellow victim and then leaving me. And I felt like I’d failed or something but I talked to Lawrence and now I know that’s not true.”

“Okay, good.” Adam shrugged. “t’s good that you don’t feel like that anymore.”

“But that doesn’t matter, okay?” Alison sighed. “I should have been this terrible to you, anyway. You care about Diana and that’s clear to see, so it was unfair of me to treat you like this. I don’t care if she sees you as a father figure. If anything I’m glad that it’s you out of all people.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.” Alison nodded. “Damn it, you must have been so hurt when I told you that you’re not her father. You are, okay? If she sees you as such, you are.”

“I’m really not.” Adam said quietly, voice stained with tears. “You’re right.”

“I’m not!” Alison exclaimed. “Family isn’t always about who is blood-related. My cousin was adopted, too, and he’s part of the family. And if Ryan can be Diana’s pops, you can be her dad. Lawrence will be her daddy and I’ll be her mommy, okay?”

Adam stared at her in shock for a few seconds before nodding. “Okay.”

Lawrence smiled at Alison. “Can the two of us also try to get along?”

“We can at least try.”

“Good, that’s more than enough.”

That’s when Diana ran up to them and grinned up at Adam. He gave her a questioning look but already knew what she was about to ask.

“Will you come to play with us again?”

“That depends.” Adam said teasingly. “Do I have to be the monster again?”

“No.” Diana shook her head. “You can be the princess! We’ll rescue you from the dragon, okay?”

“Who’s the dragon?”

“Me.” Alison offered and smiled at Adam before standing up. “Let’s give Lawrence and his poor leg a break after carrying Diana. Come on, Adam, I have to hold you hostage in my cave.”

Adam laughed at that and stood up, as well. “Well, Larry, wish me luck.”

“Oh, you’d need more luck if you were holding her captive because Alison can get out of that situation no matter what.” Lawrence joked and leaned forward. “Diana, how does your cheek feel?”

“Better.” She said quickly before looking at her mother. “Mommy, is it okay if Adam’s my dad, too?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “You’ll just have three fathers now.”

“Yes, Daddy, Dad and Pops.” Diana nodded wisely. “And one mommy.”

“Exactly. Now let’s go. Your friends are waiting.” Alison took her daughters hand and then looked at Adam. “Come on, princess.”

“On the way, dragon!”

“You two are silly.” Diana laughed in delight.

Lawrence leaned back and smiled, finally able to see his family get along. He’d have to try and convince Alison to bring Ryan along to an outing with him, Diana and Adam in the future. But that wasn't important right now. What was important was that everyone was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this instalment! I'll probably post a few more multi-chaptered ones soon. A bit of backstory will be added and all that but please bear with my headcanons (and possible princess bride references that I apologize in advance for because I am in a Cary Elwes mood).
> 
> To answer someone's question in the comments: I do take requests for this series (and in general) so don't be shy to make one. I just can't promise that'll be out the next day or something :D
> 
> Also: always feel free to ignore my ramblings here :D
> 
> See you ^^

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it so far! Leave a Kudos or Comment if you want to. Remember, you can always try to give me ideas for future instalments in this series, too.
> 
> See you ^^


End file.
